Study guide: Introduction to Social Sciences

📋 Course Outline

1. Sociology and Social Life
2. Political Power and Its Exercise
3. The Three Social Sciences
4. Methods of Social Investigation
5. Variables, Correlation and Causality

📖 1. Sociology and Social Life

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Sociology: the science that studies the behaviors and interactions of individuals living in society
• Social group: A social group is a set of people considered as part of a larger social whole.

★ Must-know

• The principal object of study of sociology is society.

📌 A norm is a rule of behavior, whereas a value is an idea about what is desirable or important.

Further detail

• The two basic questions of sociology are how a society is formed and how social behaviors can be explained.

💡 Memory Hook

Society explains both social interactions and individual behavior.

📖 2. Political Power and Its Exercise

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Political science: the science that studies the conquest and exercise of political power

★ Must-know

• The conquest of political power can occur through speech or by force. — Patrick Charaudeau, La Conquête du pouvoir. Opinion, persuasion, valeur. Les discours d’une nouvelle donne politique, 2013

📌 In a democracy, citizens give power to an elected representative by trusting them to apply their promises while continuing to control what they do.

Further detail

• The political world involves:

  • women and men in politics
  • the people
  • journalists
  • social movements expressing public opinions

• The basic question of political scientists is how political power is conquered and exercised.

💡 Memory Hook

Conquer power, exercise power, remain controlled.

📖 3. The Three Social Sciences

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Economics: the science that studies how scarce resources are produced and distributed

📝 Essential Points

• Because resources are scarce, individuals and organizations must make choices.

• The three social sciences are:

  • economics
  • sociology
  • political science

💡 Memory Hook

E-S-P: Economy, Sociology, Political science.

📖 4. Methods of Social Investigation

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Sample: a small group of people chosen to represent part of a larger group

★ Must-know

• 🔄 Social investigation involves:
  1. collecting data
  2. analyzing links between variables
  3. using models

📌 Quantitative investigations use tools such as questionnaires and surveys, whereas qualitative investigations use interviews and observations.

Further detail

📌 Quota sampling is based on precise selection criteria, whereas random sampling uses a random draw.

💡 Memory Hook

Collect data, analyze variables, use models.

📖 5. Variables, Correlation and Causality

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Correlation: when two variables change together
• Causality: when one variable is the direct cause of another variable
• Model: a simplification of reality, often presented as a diagram, table, or equation, used to understand a phenomenon

★ Must-know

📌 A positive correlation means that two variables change in the same direction, whereas a negative correlation means that they change in opposite directions.

📌 Correlation does not necessarily imply causality because two variables can change at the same time without a direct link.

Further detail

• A variable intermediate can sometimes explain the link between two variables that change together.

📌 A model isolates precise elements to understand causal links without being overwhelmed by the complexity of the real world.

💡 Memory Hook

Correlation means variables move together; causality means one directly causes another.

📊 Synthesis Tables

The Three Social Sciences